Boston Marathon 2012 Results: Top Finishing Times for Elite Runners

The Boston Marathon is an excellent showcase for some of the best runners around the world. Yesterday's 2012 edition was no different. While runners were forced to run in temperatures that hovered around 85 degrees, the best of the best prevailed and posted some impressive times. Let's take a look at a few of the top finishers in the marathon.

Wesley Korir

Korir was the first of the 22,000 who ran in the 116th Boston Marathon to cross the finish line. He posted a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds. Korir's time fell very short of the 2011 winners time (Geoffrey Mutai in 02:03:02), but this was due to the heat, which he spoke about afterwards.

"It's hot out there, in case you didn't know," Kenyan Wesley Korir said after enduring record high temperatures to win the 116th Boston Marathon on Monday. "I knew I had to hydrate to survive. I was more concerned about my hydration than my positioning."

Korir's win is the 19th by a Kenyan in the past 22 running's of the marathon.

Jason Hartmann

Hartman was the first American to cross the finish line 2 hours, 14 minutes and 31 seconds, which was good for fourth place overall. It was the 31 year old from Colorado's first Boston Marathon appearance, and he performed terrifically. Hartman said his goal was to maintain a steady pace and pass those who ran overly aggressive.

“When you line up, your goal is to have the best performance possible, and that’s what I tried to do,” Hartmann says. “I felt like I had the strength to hold my position and move up through the field by just running smart and not overly aggressively early. I wanted to let the race unfold and then capitalize through other people’s mistakes.”

Sharon Cherop

Cherop is the winner for the female side in the marathon. She finished with a time of 2 hours, 31 minutes, and 50 seconds, which was only two seconds better than second place. In her second running of the marathon, Cherop overcame a knee injury to top Jemima Jelagat Sumgong and the rest of the field. Like Korir, Cherop did not threaten to break any records, but the impact of the heat on the racers can not be understated. With the win, Cherop may find herself running in the Olympics for Kenya, but she didn't say much about the games after the race.

Piers was the top finishing American woman with a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes and 55 seconds. Piers finished tenth overall and only five seconds behind ninth place. Her finish earned her $9,200 in prize money. And although she finished with a better time in last years Boston Marathon, the 40 year old from Maine was proud of her performance.

"I felt great," she said. "It's rare when it happens, but you almost feel like you're running on water."